Seven months ago, Tennys Sandgren suffered a heartbreaking defeat. The American let slip seven match points against 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open. When he returned to the locker room, Sandgren stared at the carpet, later saying that in that moment he was “just holding on like on a raft in the middle of the ocean”.

The 2019 Auckland champion was certainly disappointed. However, the loss didn’t discourage him in the long term. Sandgren still cherishes opportunities to compete against the legends of the sport. In the third round of the Western & Southern Open, he will play World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, whom he was one point from facing in the Australian Open semi-finals.

“I was [upset] in Australia that I didn’t get to play [him] in the semis,” Sandgren said. “I was looking forward to potentially that happening once I made it to the point where that could be a thing.”

Sandgren was down a break in the third set against #NextGenATP star Felix Auger-Aliassime on Monday, but he rallied to beat the Canadian 6-7(4), 6-2, 7-6(5) in two hours and 50 minutes.

“Today, it crossed my mind a couple of times when the match wasn’t going my way or I was down. I was thinking, ‘Dude, you are going to be [annoyed at] yourself again if you don’t find a way to pull this one out, because you are going to get another opportunity to play one of the best ever,’” Sandgren said. “Any time that is on the table, I think it is enjoyable because that is why you do the training. That is why you put yourself out there, to test yourself. It is a blessing to be able to play against someone who is going to be one of the all-time greats.”

Sandgren has previously played Djokovic twice, at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2018. The Serbian has won six of their seven sets by a margin of 6-3 or greater, but that doesn’t mean the American doesn’t enjoy the challenge. When he found out he would play Djokovic on Arthur Ashe Stadium two years ago, he called it “a bucket list thing”.

The World No. 55 didn’t always have such opportunities. For years, Sandgren toiled at Futures events and then on the ATP Challenger Tour, seeking a breakthrough. He earned his first tour-level win just after his 26th birthday. Could that give him an advantage playing someone like Djokovic without any fans in the crowd due to COVID-19?

“We are used to playing with nobody and we are used to not having that outside stimuli of people watching you, that extra pressure of eyes on you, which is very tangible,” Sandgren said. “At the same time, those guys are also magicians at getting themselves mentally up and prepared for matches. While I think it might be easier for someone like me, someone like Novak is extremely gifted at playing mental games with himself. I don’t think he is really going to have a problem getting up for these matches.

“Once he has committed to come and play, I think he is going to be fully in it. When you are able to hear somebody’s name and then change it to your own name in a match, I think you are probably pretty gifted at the mental side of the sport.”

Novak Djokovic didn’t have the luxury of easing back into tournament play at the Western & Southern Open Monday night in his first match back since the end of the ATP Tour suspension.

Lithuania’s former junior World No. 1 Ricardas Berankis came out swinging for the fences and grabbed the first break in each set. But Djokovic claimed ‘boomerang breaks’ in both sets and eventually triumphed 7-6(2), 6-4 to improve his perfect record in 2020 to 19-0.

The 33-year-old needed to call on his stunning tie-break record to claim the first set. He has now won 18 of his past 19 tie-breaks, dating back to his three tie-break victories in his epic five-set win over Roger Federer in the 2019 Wimbledon final.

Djokovic, who withdrew before his first-round doubles match with a neck problem, put on a mask at the end of the first set while undergoing an adjustment from ATP physio Clay Sniteman. He also reached for his head in the fifth game of the second set after landing awkwardly.

Novak Djokovic receives a neck adjustment after the first set.” />

Asked in his post-match press conference via Zoom, Djokovic said of his neck: “It’s getting better. It’s been four days. It’s not yet where I’d like it to be but it’s heading in the right direction.

“Hopefully it will not react with the inflammation after tonight’s match. We’ll do everything possible with the physio and then we’ll see what tomorrow brings.”

Djokovic, who hit seven double faults, added that his neck had an impact on his performance, especially on serve. “Well, it has bothered me… I made so many double faults, and he knew exactly where I’m going to serve. There were not many options for me because just the awkward situation I was in.

”But I managed somehow with the great help of Clay, ATP physiotherapist, who did his best to make sure I feel better. I tried to take one game at a time. He was striking the ball really well. He was playing super fast.”

The Serb, who became the first singles player in history (since 1990) to capture all nine ATP Masters 1000 titles when he defeated Federer in the 2018 Cincinnati final,
advanced to a third-round showdown with American Tennys Sandgren.

Serbian Filip Krajinovic stunned second seed Dominic Thiem 6-2, 6-1 on Monday, losing only two service points en route to the third round of the Western & Southern Open.

“I think I started really well today. I was aggressive and I’m really happy that I’m in the third round,” Krajinovic said on court. “I don’t think Thiem was playing today good tennis, but I took the chance and I think I deserved to win.”

Thiem was one of the leading favourites entering the tournament, especially after reaching this year’s Australian Open final, in which he pushed Novak Djokovic to five sets. But in his first ATP Tour match since play was suspended in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Thiem struggled to find rhythm against his unseeded opponent. 

“I knew what I had to do. I had a good preparation with my coach. I knew that I have to play aggressive if I’d have any chance,” Krajinovic said. “I think everything went my way today.”

Krajinovic earned just the second Top 10 victory of his career, improving to 2-16 against the elite group. He won 32 of 34 service points, breaking the World No. 3 four times. Entering the tournament, the World No. 32 had only won 61 per cent of his service points for the season. 

Thiem is known for his aggression and his physical baseline game. But the Austrian rushed the net on many occasions, and pulled the trigger earlier in rallies than he normally would. Krajinovic broke in his first return game of the second set, putting a backhand return at the feet of Thiem, who was serve-and-volleying. Krajinovic never lost focus, remaining solid throughout. He served out the match at love, clinching his 62-minute triumph when Thiem wildly missed a backhand down the line.

Krajinovic will next play 14th seed Grigor Dimitrov or Hungarian Marton Fucsovics.

Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo made a winning start to their Western & Southern Open campaign on Monday, defeating Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares 7-6(4), 3-6, 10-5.

The 2017 semi-finalists improved to 6-3 as a team at the ATP Masters 1000 event after one hour and 44 minutes to book a second-round clash against Steve Johnson and Austin Krajicek. The American pairing dropped just two games to defeat Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen on Sunday.

“We are very happy, first of all, to be playing again in competition,” said Kubot. “We are happy after this long period… to continue playing good. I think today was a very good match, a very tough match against Bruno and Pavic who we have played a couple of times. To be back after five months playing this level makes us very happy.”

Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies needed 72 minutes to join Kubot and Melo in the second round. The reigning Roland Garros champions converted five of nine break points to beat Borna Coric and Franko Skugor 6-2, 6-3.

Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic are through to their fourth quarter-final as a team this year. The Open 13 Provence finalists held each of their 10 service games to beat Daniel Evans and David Goffin 7-5, 6-1.

The ATP Tour returns after a five-month suspension, due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, with the Western & Southern Open. Thiago Seyboth Wild upset Casper Ruud for the Santiago title on 1 March in the last ATP Tour match played. ATPTour.com looks at the storylines to watch out for at the ATP Masters 1000 event:

• Typically, the Western & Southern Open is held in Cincinnati and serves as the seventh of nine ATP Masters 1000 events. In 2020, the event takes place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, home of the US Open. The Western & Southern Open is the first ATP Masters 1000 event of 2020.

• With a new venue, the Western & Southern Open will be held for the 85th straight year and 119th time overall. Since the inaugural edition in 1899, the tournament has been staged every year except 1918, 1921 and 1935.

• World No. 1 Novak Djokovic leads a field that features five former champions and 16 players in the Top 20 of the FedEx ATP Rankings. In 2018, Djokovic defeated seven-time champion Roger Federer for his first Cincinnati title in his sixth final. With that win, Djokovic became the first player to capture all nine different ATP Masters 1000 titles in series history (since 1990).

• Djokovic is 18-0 in 2020 and is assured of tying Pete Sampras on 14 September for the second-most weeks (286) at No. 1 in FedEx ATP Rankings history (since 1973). Though he trails Djokovic by 3,175 points, No. 3-ranked Dominic Thiem could add as many as 3,980 points through Rome by 21 September. 

Best Starts to a Season in ATP Tour History (since 1990)
o Novak Djokovic 41-0 2011 (43 straight wins from 2010-11)
o Novak Djokovic 18-0 2020 (21 straight wins from 2019-Present)
o Novak Djokovic 17-0 2013 (22 straight wins from 2012-13)
o Roger Federer 17-0 2018 (17 straight wins overall)
o Pete Sampras 17-0 1997 (20 straight wins from 1996-97)

• Daniil Medvedev defeated Djokovic en route to the 2019 Western & Southern Open title. Cincinnati was the third of six straight finals reached by the Russian, who narrowly fell to Rafael Nadal three weeks later at the US Open.

o Washington l. to Nick Kyrgios
o Montreal l. to Rafael Nadal
o Cincinnati d. David Goffin
o US Open l. to Rafael Nadal
o St. Petersburg d. Borna Coric
o Shanghai d. Alexander Zverev

• Medvedev and Djokovic are joined by fellow former champions Grigor Dimitrov (2017), Marin Cilic (2016) and Andy Murray (2008, 2011). Murray will be playing his first tour-level tournament of 2020. He is 18-12 since undergoing the first of two right hip surgeries in January 2018, highlighted by his 46th tour-level title in October 2019 at Antwerp.

• Andrey Rublev won his first 11 matches of 2020 and 15 straight matches dating back to 2019. Now 15-3 on the year, the Russian returns to the Western & Southern Open at a career-high No. 14. He was a 70th-ranked qualifier at 2019 Cincinnati when he upset Federer in 62 minutes – the Swiss’ quickest loss in over 16 years.

• Another 22-year-old with a career-high ranking is No. 24 Taylor Fritz. The Californian is one of 11 Americans trying to end the longest title drought for the host country in tournament history. Former World No. 1 Andy Roddick is the last American to win both the Western & Southern Open (2006) and the US Open (2003).

• The Western & Southern Open final is 28 August and the US Open begins 31 August, marking the shortest gap between the two tournaments since 1986. That year, Cincinnati ended two days prior to the US Open.

• All 56 main draw players and 36 qualifying losers at the Western & Southern Open are scheduled to play at the US Open. Odds are that one of those 92 players will win the US Open title, but it would be a rarity all the same.

o Stan Wawrinka is the last player to compete the week before a Grand Slam event that he won.
 2015 Geneva QF followed by 2015 Roland Garros title

o Patrick Rafter is the last player to win a title the week before a Grand Slam event that he won.
 1998 Long Island title followed by 1998 US Open title

After nearly six months, Yannick Hanfmann finally found himself on a court for a competitive tournament on the ATP Challenger Tour. Safe to say, it went even better than he expected.

Hanfmann dropped just one set all week in Todi, Italy, culminating in an efficient 6-3, 6-3 win over Bernabe Zapata Miralles on Sunday evening. He needed just 65 minutes to dispatch his Spanish opponent, winning a dominant 85 per cent of all service points.

It’s never easy to organize the first tournament back amid a global pandemic, but, with stringent safety measures and protocols set up, the team at the Internazionali di Tennis Citta di Todi excelled. As did Hanfmann. It’s equally challenging to lift a trophy after a near-six month break, but the former Top 100 star was not fazed.

“I feel relief,” said Hanfmann after the final. “After a long week like that, it’s always nice to be done. And it’s even better to be done as the last man standing. I played a good final today, had a good week here and I’m really happy. Next week there’s another Italian Challenger. Hopefully I can continue the run.”

The 28-year-old, who rose a career-high No. 99 in 2018, is a former ATP Tour finalist (Gstaad 2017) and has played against some of the best players in the world. As he seeks a return to the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings, Hanfmann is ready for whatever challenge awaits. The German rose 25 spots to No. 118 with his victory in Todi.

“I have another tournament next week [in Trieste]. I’m going week-by-week and day-by-day. I have a tough match in the first round against Moroni. I played him in the semi-finals here. It’s not going to be easy. Getting a win in the first week back, I’m moving towards the Top 100 a little bit more. But I’m old enough to know that it’s another step to get to that point. I’ll take it tournament-by-tournament and I’m enjoying this, so let’s keep it going.”

Photo: Marta Magni/MEF Tennis Events

Hanfmann lifted his sixth Challenger trophy in total, marking the fourth straight year in which he has emerged victorious on the circuit. Moreover, he is now 8-4 in 2020, having finished runner-up to Taro Daniel in Burnie, Australia, in January.

The former University of Southern California standout will open against Gian Marco Moroni in nearby Trieste, Italy, on Tuesday. Seeded third, he could face #NextGenATP Italian Giulio Zeppieri in the second round, with Mischa Zverev, Antoine Hoang and Jurij Rodionov also looming in his half of the draw. Australia’s Alexei Popyrin leads the field as the top seed.

Twelve months ago, Emil Ruusuvuori was outside the Top 200 of the FedEx ATP Rankings. What a difference a year makes.

The Finn rallied past fellow #NextGenATP star Sebastian Korda 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-5 on Sunday to reach the second round of the Western & Southern Open, earning his first ATP Masters 1000 main draw victory.

“It was a really difficult match, especially mentally. There were a lot of ups and downs. I didn’t play the best at any time in this match. But I survived, that’s the key,” Ruusuvuori, a qualifier, said. “That’s how it goes sometimes. I’m just really happy we got through it.”

Ruusuvuori neared the finish line when he led 7-6(3), 4-2, but in a flash Korda turned the tide to win the second set and move ahead 5-2 in the decider. The Finn didn’t panic, though, remaining solid to win 20 of the final 22 points, advancing after two hours and seven minutes.

“I had him in the second set, there’s no doubt about it,” Ruusuvuori said. “But then it was one of the biggest comebacks in my career.”

The 21-year-old is guaranteed to crack the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time when next Monday’s standings are published.

“That was one of the big goals for sure,” Ruusuvuori said. “But it’s just one of the goals. It’s a long season and the career is long. Just one step at a time. Now that’s behind me and then we’ll just go for the next goals.”

Ruusuvuori, who also beat Korda in the 2017 US Open boys’ singles event, is the first Finn to win a match in the Western & Southern Open main draw since Jarkko Nieminen in 2013. He will face a stiff test in the next round against sixth seed Matteo Berrettini.

“He’s one of the best players on Tour at the moment. I’m sure after this break he’s going to come up with some good tennis,” Ruusuvuori said. “I have to show my best tennis if I want to keep up with him and I’m sure it’s going to be a fun match. He’s one of the best players, I have nothing to lose. We’ll see how it goes.”

Ruusuvori practised with Berrettini at Indian Wells this year before the BNP Paribas Open was cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns. His coach, Federico Ricci, is Italian and has known Berrettini for years. The #NextGenATP star is looking forward to the challenge.

“Tomorrow’s the next match,” Ruusuvori said. “We’ll just have to focus on that, do the best we can to recover from this one and show the best tennis we can tomorrow.”

David Goffin reached the final of last year’s Western & Southern Open. Although the ATP Masters 1000 is being held at a different location, the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the Belgian doesn’t seem to mind.

The seventh seed battled through a back-and-forth opening set Sunday evening before beating Borna Coric 7-6(6), 6-4 to reach the third round.

“It was a big battle until the end of the first set. I think winning the first set was the key because after that, I didn’t lose my serve. I served well until the end,” Goffin said. “The surface is very quick so when you are aggressive and you serve well, it makes a big difference.”

Goffin now leads Coric 5-0 in their ATP Head2Head series, with their most recent meeting coming at 2016 Halle. After clinching his victory, the Belgian waved to the “crowd”, even though the applause just came from his own team, because there are no fans.

“I found it very funny when I saw Andy Murray yesterday. He did the same. It was quite nice to do like normal, like there were a lot of fans,” Goffin said. “I did the same because I know that some people are watching us. It’s quite nice and quite funny, especially when you win.”

The 2017 Nitto ATP Finals runner-up had more than just his own team in the stands, though. Former WTA No. 1 Kim Clijsters supported her countryman, who will next play 12th seed Denis Shapovalov or Jan-Lennard Struff.

“It was nice to see that she was there to support. It was her team, one of my best friends… he is coaching as well on the women’s tour. He was next to Thomas Johansson, my coach, so it was nice,” Goffin said. “There were no fans, but I had the most important fans behind me, so it was good to have their support.”